Aims and objectives
This study aimed to measure the frequency of spiritual needs, identify the factors associated with these needs among Korean and American persons living with an advance chronic ...illness and compare them from a cross‐cultural perspective.
Background
Persons with serious or life‐limiting illnesses often have spiritual needs. Unmet spiritual needs are associated with poor well‐being and threaten psychological health. Little is known about how specific spiritual needs vary across cultures.
Design
A quantitative, cross‐sectional, observational cross‐cultural comparison was undertaken.
Methods
The study has been prepared in accordance with the STROBE guidelines. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants from outpatient clinics in South Korea and Southern California (N = 202). Spiritual needs were measured using the Spiritual Interests Related to Illness Tool (SpIRIT); demographic and illness‐related variables were also assessed using paper‐and‐pencil questionnaires. Data were analysed using various parametric statistical tests, including multiple regression analysis.
Results
The findings quantify the intensity and types of spiritual needs that persons living with an advanced chronic illness experience. Furthermore, they show how the spiritual needs of religiously diverse samples of South Koreans and Americans differ. The findings also indicate that self‐reported spirituality and religiosity independently explain a substantial amount of the variance in spiritual needs.
Conclusions
In both the samples, spiritual needs were reported and associated with spirituality and religiosity. Although all the eight domains of spiritual needs assessed by the SpIRIT were pertinent to the Korean and American samples, they were prioritised differently.
Relevance to clinical practice
Screening patients to ascertain how important spirituality or religiosity is to them may help clinicians focus their in‐depth assessments on those who report high levels of spirituality or religiosity because these patients may experience the strongest spiritual needs. The SpIRIT shows promise as a measure of diverse spiritual needs.
Although it is widely recognised that people turn to spirituality in times of crises, the interest in exploring the spiritual needs of cancer patients is just beginning to grow. The purpose of this ...study was to conduct a spiritual needs assessment with cancer patients living in a Northern European metropolitan region in order to (a) examine the relevance and nature of spiritual needs; (b) to clarify the role of demographic and clinical characteristics in spiritual needs; and (c) to identify their associations with dimensions of psychological distress. N = 285 outpatients with mixed cancer sites and of all tumour stages were surveyed cross‐sectionally. Instruments included the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ) and measures of anxiety, distress, hopelessness and meaning‐related life attitudes. Almost all patients (94%) reported at least one spiritual need. The needs for Inner Peace and Actively Giving emerged to be of greatest importance. Significant, but weak differences were found for age, gender and being in a partnership. No associations for medical characteristics were observed. Regression analyses revealed anxiety as the strongest predictor for the subscales Existential Needs, Inner Peace and Actively Giving. The results emphasise the relevance of spiritual needs in cancer patients. The call for spiritual assessment and interventions to meet spiritual needs in cancer patients is strengthened.
Organizations employ a performance management system to ensure sustainable performance. This paper aims to develop a model of performance management that may fulfil the basic needs of an employee and ...simultaneously ensures organizational performance. A review of the literature concerning Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Balanced Scorecard was conducted. As these two models are criticized for failing to recognize the spiritual needs, they are then mapped into the Maqasid al-Shari’ah model to develop a more comprehensive performance management model, named the Employees-Organizational Performance Needs Model (EOPNM), which may contribute to the body of knowledge in the area of performance management.
To provide spiritual care, an assessment and documentation of patients´ spiritual struggles and/or their spiritual needs is required to initiate appropriate support planning processes. For that ...purpose, the
Spiritual Needs Questionnaire
(SpNQ) was developed in 2009 as an easy to apply standardized measure. The tool has so far been translated into numerous languages and is widely used as a valid and reliable instrument to assess a wide range of spiritual needs of patients with chronic diseases, elderly, adolescents, and healthy persons. Its four main factors address
Religious needs
,
Existential needs
,
Inner Peace needs
, and
Giving/Generativity
needs. Here, the main findings are summarized and discussed.
Research across healthcare contexts has shown that, if provided appropriately, spiritual care can be of significant benefit to patients. It can be challenging, however, to incorporate spiritual care ...in daily practice, not least in post-secular, culturally entwined, and pluralist contexts. The aim of this integrative review was to locate, evaluate and discuss spiritual-needs questionnaires from the post-secular perspective in relation to their applicability in secular healthcare. Eleven questionnaires were evaluated and discussed with a focus on religious/spiritual (RS) wording, local culturally entwined and pluralist contexts, and on whether a consensual understanding between patient and healthcare professional could be expected through RS wording. By highlighting some factors involved in implementing a spiritual-needs questionnaire in diverse cultural and vernacular contexts, this article can assist by providing a general guideline. This article offers an approach to the international exchange and implementation of knowledge, experiences, and best practice in relation to the use of spiritual needs-assessment questionnaires in post-secular contexts.
Spiritual care remains a neglected dimension in the context of living in residential aged care facilities. Using a grounded theory methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 Nepalese ...aged care residents, 3 nurses, and 4 caregivers to explore the residents' spiritual needs and how nurses/caregivers perceive and respond to these. The analysis revealed that the process of providing spiritual care and meeting spiritual care needs are complex, which includes preparing internally, interacting with residents, integrating care, and involving in residents' spiritual practices. To facilitate appropriate and the required spiritual care, effort to increase nurses and caregivers' readiness and ensure managerial support are crucial.
Addressing the spiritual needs of patients is an essential component of holistic care in nursing. Acknowledging the spiritual needs of cancer patients enhances the performance of clinical caregivers ...in providing quality services to such patients. Therefore, caregivers successfully fulfill or decrease the patients' needs and thus increase their adaptation to crises.
The present cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the spiritual needs of cancer patients. In this study, 96 cancer patients were selected from Ayatollah Khansari Hospital in Arak, Iran. The required data were collected through a demographic information form and the Persian version of the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire.
Participants' verbal consent to participate in the study was obtained, and they were assured of anonymity and confidentiality.
In the present study, the mean age of the participants was 47.82 ± 14.34 years. The frequency distribution of respondents by gender was 36 males (37.5%) and 60 females (62.5%). The mean scores of spiritual needs in the domains of religious needs, need for inner peace, existential needs, and need for giving/generativity were 12.03 ± 3.18, 7.26 ± 3.26, 4.61 ± 2.96, and 4.06 ± 2.32, respectively. The highest and lowest mean values were associated with religious needs and need for giving/generativity, respectively. Religious needs showed a significantly positive relationship with gender, occupation, and the type of treatment (
< 0.05). Moreover, a significant relationship was observed between the need for peace and level of education (
< 0.05).
The recognition of the spiritual needs of cancer patients is the first step in prioritizing and planning to provide spiritual care to these patients and supporting them in adapting to and coping with the disease. Therefore, nurses need to acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills required to identify these needs.
Background
More than 25 years after the end of the Balkan war, many people belonging to the post-war population are still traumatized by the war events and have been treated for post-traumatic stress ...disorder or other psychiatric diagnoses. We were interested in their Inner Peace needs, how these relate to indicators of mental health, and their needs to clarify open processes in their lives and to forgive and be forgiven.
Materials and methods
In a cross-sectional survey with standardized questionnaires (i.e., SpNQ, PCL-M, HADS, and BMLSS), 638 male patients who were treated in seven psychiatric centers in Croatia were enrolled. 68% were diagnosed with PTSD and 32% had other psychiatric diagnoses. Most had actively participated in the Balkan war (79%), and 60% for the whole war period.
Results
Strong needs to “immerse into beauty of nature” were stated by 47%, to “dwell at a place of quietness and peace” by 66%, and to “find inner peace” by 57%. These Inner Peace needs were highest in men treated with PTSD diagnoses as compared to men with other psychiatric diagnoses and were slightly lower in men who were active during the whole war period as compared to shorter phases of war participation. Regression analyses with Inner Peace needs as a dependent variable revealed that Clarification/Forgiveness needs were the best predictor, with further influences of PTSD symptoms and life satisfaction, explaining altogether 49% of the variance. The best predictors of their PTSD symptoms were life satisfaction, perceived burden, depressive symptoms, Inner Peace needs, religious trust, and duration of war participation, explaining 60% of the variance.
Conclusion
In Croatian male war participants in clinical treatment decades after the war, Inner Peace needs indicate their ongoing intention to let go of their disturbing experiences and to find states of inner peace, particularly at specific places of quietness and peace. These needs can be considered metaphors for longing for wholeness, integrity, and safety, in contrast to the ongoing impact of unresolved issues. Thus, apart from psychotherapeutic treatment, sheltered places of nature, inspiration, and reconciliation might be elements to improve the difficult situation of post-war victims still suffering from their experiences.
Background
Spiritual care is an important element of holistic care but has received little attention within palliative care in end‐stage heart failure.
Aims
To identify the spiritual needs and ...spiritual support preferences of end‐stage heart failure patients/carers and to develop spiritual support guidelines locally.
Method
Semi‐structured interviews (totalling 47) at 3‐monthly intervals up to 1 year with 16 end‐stage heart failure patients/carers. Focus group/consultation with stakeholders.
Results
Participants were struggling with spiritual/existential concerns alongside the physical and emotional challenges of their illness. These related to: love/belonging; hope; coping; meaning/purpose; faith/belief; and the future. As a patient's condition deteriorated, the emphasis shifted from ‘fighting’ the illness to making the most of the time left. Spiritual concerns could have been addressed by: having someone to talk to; supporting carers; and staff showing sensitivity/taking care to foster hope. A spiritual support home visiting service would be valued.
Conclusions
Our sample experienced significant spiritual needs and would have welcomed spiritual care within the palliative care package.
Implications for nursing management
Nurse managers could play a key role in developing this service and in leading further research to evaluate the provision of such a service in terms of its value to patients and other benefits including improved quality of life, spiritual wellbeing, reduced loneliness/isolation and a possible reduction in hospital admissions.
Background and Objectives: The evaluation and accurate recognition of all the needs and problems of patients, including spiritual needs, are inevitable to increase the quality of nursing care. This ...study aimed to evaluate the spiritual needs and their association with anxiety and depression in the elderly with chronic diseases. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 100 patients with chronic diseases above 60 years of age. The subjects were selected through convenience sampling in the two hospitals of Qom, Iran, in 2017. Data collection tools were demographic characteristics questionnaire, as well as the questionnaire of spiritual needs and hospital anxiety and depression scale. Results: In this study, the mean age of the subjects was 65.4±5.2 years. All the patients were reported with at least a spiritual need. The highest score related to the item of "requesting help from God" was 2.31±0.76, whereas the lowest score related to the item of "talking with others about the life after death" was 0.66±0.98. The results of regression analysis demonstrated that among the variables entered into the univariate model, the two variables of depression and disease duration had a significant relation with spiritual needs. Conclusion: Unmet spiritual needs were reported high in the elderly with chronic diseases, and depression, as well as disease duration, were the effective factors in the spiritual needs of the elderly with chronic diseases. Therefore, the spiritual needs of patients with chronic diseases should be considered in clinical care in order to identify potential therapeutic ways to support and stabilize their emotional state.
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